Manchester derby VAR dropped from Premier League duty after Haaland goal

The Premier League has left Matt Donohue without a match this weekend after the video assistant referee's controversial call in Sunday's Manchester derby. Donohue allowed Erling Haaland's goal to stand at Old Trafford despite Enzo Fernandez appearing to interfere with play from an offside position. His assistant Blake Antrobus has also been removed from the fixture list.

• Matt Donohue has not been appointed to any Premier League match this weekend.
• Haaland's goal was reviewed only for his own offside position, not Fernandez's interference.
• Referees' body Pro Ref admitted Donohue should have advised Michael Oliver to check the monitor.
• Blake Antrobus, the assistant VAR, has also been left without a game.
• Michael Oliver will referee Bournemouth vs Liverpool on Sunday.

What went wrong in the VAR review at Old Trafford

The sequence started with an offside call against Erling Haaland on the pitch. Replays showed Patrick Dorgu had actually played the Norwegian onside, and that detail consumed the video review team's attention. What they missed was Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position as he attempted to head the ball. The Argentine's movement affected the reactions of defender Lisandro Martinez and goalkeeper Senne Lammens, which meets the threshold for an offside offence under the laws of the game.

Pro Ref, the body that manages elite referees in England, accepted that Donohue made an error by not recommending an on-field review for Oliver to assess Fernandez's involvement. Once the goal was confirmed, Manchester City took a win that has reignited the debate over VAR's use in English football.

Wayne Rooney blasts VAR after the Manchester derby

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney described the decision as baffling. Speaking on the BBC's Match of the Day 2, the ex-England international did not hide his frustration: "I'm just so sick of this VAR, I think it's horrendous. It takes all the emotion off the game, the energy the game's played with, and to not see that and recognise Fernandez is in an offside position..."

Anyone who's played the game at any level understands that and knows that he's in an offside position. To get it so wrong, it's just baffling.

Pro Ref's disciplinary action after the derby error

Howard Webb, Pro Ref's chief refereeing officer, and his executive team chose not to select Donohue or Antrobus for this weekend's round of fixtures. With the international break following immediately after, the duo will not officiate a Premier League match until October 10 at the earliest. Webb is expected to address the mistake on Tuesday's edition of Match Officials: Mic'd Up on Sky Sports and TNT Sports.

Dermot Gallagher explains how referees handle their own errors

Jay Bothroyd, the former Coventry and Cardiff forward, demanded sanctions for the officials during Sky Sports News' Ref Watch. He argued that players face consequences for their mistakes and referees should be held to the same standard. "Saying I'm sorry is just not good enough," Bothroyd said, adding that United head coach Michael Carrick is under pressure and could lose his job because of someone else's bad decision.

Dermot Gallagher, a former Premier League referee, responded by explaining that these processes are handled internally. "When I was a referee, and referees now, we actually beat ourselves up if we get something wrong. We are the worst enemies for ourselves. It's really unfortunate, but that's it. You can't change that. You can only change the present and the future, and you've got to learn from it," he said.

Gallagher added that the officials lost focus during the review. In his view, they zeroed in on whether Fernandez touched the ball, a narrow point that pulled their attention away from the real issue: the Argentine's influence on United's defensive reaction.

Michael Oliver set for Bournemouth vs Liverpool on Sunday

While Donohue and Antrobus sit out, Michael Oliver, the on-field referee for the derby, has kept his place in the rotation. He will take charge of Bournemouth against Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday, a meeting between two sides with European ambitions. Oliver's continuity contrasts with the punishment handed to the video team, identified as the main responsible party for the mistake.

When will Matt Donohue return to Premier League duty

The next appointment window for Donohue and Antrobus opens after the international break. The Premier League pauses following this weekend's matches and does not return until October, meaning both officials will be sidelined for at least two weeks. Pro Ref's message is unambiguous: an error of this magnitude in a high-profile fixture has immediate consequences for match assignments.